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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-05-16, Page 6Page 6—Lue!mow Sentinel, Wednesday, May 16, 1979 The LUCKNOW SENTINEL \Toteit'sapriviJege LUCKNOW, ONTARIO "The Sepoy Town" Established 1873 On the Huron -Bruce Boundary Published Wednesday , 7 t D Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. Sharon J, Dietz - Editor Anthony N. Johnstone - Advertising and General Manager Subscription rate $11 per year in advance Senior Citizens rate, $9 per year in advance U.S.A. and Foreign, $21.50 per year in advancd Sr. Cit., U.S.A. and Foreign 519.50 per year in advance Business and Editorial Office Telephone 528-2822 Mailing Address P.O. Box 400, Lucknow, NOG 2H0 Second class mail registration number - 0847 Letters to the editor Letters raise election issues To the Editor, Would the Liberals reform ' pensions if re-elected? Why did they not do so during the past eleven years? If the unity problem is so great, why have federalist 'Liberals been elected so readily lately in Quebec? If Petrocan is so profitable to us, why did the head push. of it claim recently on TV that Petrocan explores for oil where private capital finds it too risky? Should the tax- payer's dollarbe spent where directors of companies` would not risk their share- holder's dollar? If the cost of living bonus is the same for everyone, 00 ,4 those who _ have no mortgages and . no children benefit :at the cost of the consumer? Why is no direct provision made for commodity trading i gains in the income tax forms? The only place is an "etc."' and no income tax slips must be furnished the Taxation Branch by the brok- ers...How many traders fail to report gains in commodity trading? W.A.F. Hagborg, Winnipeg, Man: To the Editor: TRUDEAU FINANCIAL DISASTER As we approach .the most important federal election in our history, I am fervently hoping that Canadians will judge political candidates on policies as opposed to such frivolous items' as why Joe Clark lost his luggage while on a world tour, Intelligent. Canadians will immediately cast off such childish concerns as style and charisma . and will in- stead focus on important issues such as competence and fiscal iesponsibility. Pierre rudeau became Prime Mini'sfer in April, 1968. Consider th'e financial record of his administration (source: Public Accounts, Department of Finance; per- centage figures have been adjusted to take inflation into account): 1) in 1968 the gross federal debt was $33 billion; in 1978 it was $80 billion, Increase: 25% "(When I asked Pierre Trudea to explain this while he was in Edmonton . last year, he -typically evaded the question). 2) in 1968 the annual interest we paid -on our federal debt was $1.3 billion; • in 1978 it was $5.6 billion. Increase: 129%. 3) in 1978, 13% .of the total federal budget was devoted' solely to interest payments on the federal. debt. This would be like every working Canadian. paying $560 just to cover the federal •govern- ment's: interest obligations. 4) since 1968, annual federal ---- spending ;-h;as increased 105% . 5) since 1968 the annual • federal deficitis have increas- ed by 496%! 6) due to ravaging inflation, what would have cost $1.00 in 1968 cost $1.94 in 1978. Increase: 94% (inflation is caused by a number of factors, but the most; import- ant factor is irresponsible government policies.) This record is a record of monstrous incompetence and. utter disregard for the wel= fare of the Canadian people: How can thinking Canadians support such 'mis-manage_`. ment? When will we stop judging Pierre Trudeau . on his . TV image and start judging him on his manager- ial capabilities? We have had eleven years of financial disaster - can we afford another five years? Sincerely,: \ Peter D. Schalin. Tribute to Edith To the Editor: On behalf of the older folks of Lucknow and community who had the privilege of knowing Mrs. J. W. (Edith) Joynt for more than fifty years, I would like to pay tribute to this wonderful lady whose death occurred three weeks ago. She took a very active part in the life of our village duringand after the first and second World Wars by or- ganizing home talent con- certs and sharing her own great musical abilities. She was organist and choir leader of the Methodist and later Unit' d Church for over fifty yea's` Edith and here close friend, Miss Belle Rob- ertson, sang countless duets at concerts and funerals. During the. Lucknow Cen- tennial Anniversary. in 1958 whichwas so well planned by our editors, Campbell ; and - Margaret Thompson, she was an enthusiastic helper in entertainment for the week- end.. In addition to her, hospit- ality and her friendliness towards rich and poor, - old and young; her ready wit. endeared her to, all who knew her. Like so many others she lived her busy life of home- making, of helping in church and community and now has passed on to her eternal reward. ;Her long-time friend, Ada Webster: Week for Mentally Retarded Dear ` Editor: The Wingham and District Association for the Mentally Retarded, as a member of the Canadian Association, will be joining in a nation- wide campaign in May of this year. Theweek of May 13 to 19 has been designated as National Week for the Men- tally Retarded. During this week Flowers of . Hope nmarigold seeds which have been packaged by students in our schools and workshops will be sent to every householder in the district: Throughout Canada, ,local associations for the mentally retarded have not only devel- oped schools for children, but also,through, direct support and co-operation with other agencies are prov- iding family counselling, home care help, preschool classes, recreation and camping programs, shelter - Turn to page 7 • The next four years will be crucial for Canada and demanding for the prime minister. The Canadian economy requires polic- ies to stimulate its growth rate and create jobs for the unemployed. A government cannot turn its back on nearly' 1 million unemployed by looking at the 92 per cent who do have jobs, Canadians must regain control of their economy because we can no longer rely on decisions made in foreign head offices to provide jobs for Canadians. Industrial strategy must be developed to identify the key industrial sectors where Canada can be competitive and provide incentives to attract the neces- sary investment. We must promote our own development of Canadian -owned companies to exploit our resources and utilize our skills. There must , be a determined effort to shift from the export „of raw materials to ffftshed products. The issue of national unity is directly related to the dissatisfaction of the unemployed. Any attempt to address the national. unity issue must work to solve high un- employment and slow growth in many, parts of Quebec and other stagnating regions of the . country. With close to 1 million Canadians unemployed, inflation eating away at the incomes of people living on low and fixed incomes and an economy operating well below its potential, the economic strategy of government elected on May 22 will greatly influence the national unity of this country. Much of the dissatisfaction with con- federation, especially . on the part, of Quebeckers, does not result from consti- tutional arrangements but from an inability to share in the economic pro- gress of the country. Lack of jobs and economic disparity are frequently cited as. grievances by the -separatist movement :in. Quebec. It will take a strong, compassionate leader who understands the problems of the unemployed. and low income earner to deal with this dissatisfaction. It will take a leader who is prepared tolisten and compromise for the good of all to nego- tiate with the premiers of the provinces to handle regional disparity and take advan- tage of the differences in our country's fabric. Canada needs an effective national government to face .the issues in the next four years. Perhaps the government elected on Tuesday should look at over- hauling parliament to allow MPs greater independence in voting and more power to change or initiate laws and alter spending priorities. Under the present system the cabinet makes all the decisions and the MPs have little power to change those decisions. Proportional representation in the House of Commons and an elected Senate are two suggestions which have been put forth to allow parliament to be more relevant. A truly representative . parliament in which elected representatives had an effective voice in the government's decisions would do much to strengthen the unity of the country. These are the crucial issues facing a government which will represent the people of Canada' over the next four years. On Tuesday it isthe job of Canadians to elect the representatives who will work to deal with these issues .and make the decisions to find 'solutions It is up to you to exercise the most valuable right of a democratic society by voting. It is a`privilege which should not be shrugged away with the comment, "my vote won't mean anything, any- way". It is the one chance that most people have to contribute directly. Consider theissues,, look at the candi- dates in this riding and the leaders of their respective parties. Make .a know- ledgeable -choice. Vote as you please on 'Tuesday, but vote. An ne "zias delightful The production of the operetta, Anne of Green Gables, at .. Madill Secondary School, Wingham, last week was excep- tionally well done. As a member of the audience, you had to keep reminding yourself throughout the performance that the actors were high school students, their .work was so professional. The story of an orphan who is adopted by a middle aged sister and brother who areboth single, the play was chosen by director, Paul Elgie. as a tribute to the International Year of the Child. He wanted to do a play for children, A children's story come to life on stage, it delighted the children who were lucky enough to see the production. Several pf the stars were Lucknow area students including, Stephen Pritchard, Rob Henderson, Lynne Hilverda, Lois Hanna, Debbie Bolt and Mary Luanne Clare. Each gave commendable performances and brought their Characters to life with charm, warmth and credibility. Stphen, Rob and Lynne along with Gail Thompson deserve special mention for ' their exceptional performances in leading roles. And Marni Walsh was irrepressible as Anne! She -brought Anne to life as every child must imagine her to be, when reading . Lucy Montgomery's book. Her characterization of Anne was so quick and bright as the imagination of a child and as irreistable as a loveable Raggedy Ann. . The music was lively and never slowed the pace. The skill of the actors made the songs as natural as conversation. For an actor -to start singing in mid -sentence was as plausible as breathing. The stage set depicting the white farmhouse with green gables was a little girl's dream. It was serviceable and worked for the actors and drew the audience into the play. The drama effort at Madill is one of co,operation by various of the school's departments to bring together, a complete production. Music, drama, shop and home economics departments contribute and work together so many can partici- pate and the production can be a whole. Everyone associated with the produc- tion, should be proud of their work: As Mr. Elgie told the closing night audience in reference to the students who are given the chance to participate, "Look what they have done!"